I am a believer

I have been a member of the Islands YMCA for many years and I have read many brochures and listened to many motivational speeches about the Priceless Gifts campaign. I am not proud of this, but I was not inspired and never donated.

However, when I was researching for my Hot ‘n Healthy article this week, some of the stories I read broke my heart. These were stories of people who worked hard and loved their children, but they needed a leg up.

I wish I could tell you all of the stories, but my favorite is of a mother that could not afford swim lessons for her daughter. She qualified for financial assistance from the YMCA and her daughter learned to swim, learned the life saving skills of swimming, joined the Y swim team, and eventually went to college on a swimming scholarship. Through the years, the mother stuck a few dollars in a jar as she could spare them. Then one day she handed an envelope to the branch director to pay for all the swimming lessons.

There was a story of a woman who was a contributor to the Priceless Gift campaign. Then found herself in need of assistance due to a divorce.

There are many other stories of people’s lives that were changed by services offered at the Y. The Y offers social opportunities in a healthy environment for senior adults and teenagers. Teen Achievers is available for career and college readiness skills. There is a Diabetes Prevention Program.

There is something for everyone at the Y and no one is turned away.

If you are fortunate enough to have resources to share, the Priceless Gifts campaign helps people of all ages, race, gender and socio economics.

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